In one of the best matchups of the day in a busy opener for college basketball, the Iowa State Cyclones took on the Memphis Tigers on Monday night. Unfortunately, the Cyclones suffered their first loss by a score of 80-76.

Right from the start of this game, it looked like the Tigers were going to be up for the challenge of facing the Cyclones. Iowa State is a team that features a lot of new faces after losing a ton of talent from their Sweet 16 team. 

Also, the late addition of Tamin Lipsey to the roster is a big deal. Getting Lipsey back was huge for the program, but he didn’t have a ton of time with the group in preparation for the season. 

Despite not shooting the ball very well from the field in the first half, it was Memphis who held a 40-39 lead. The Tigers were able to dominate on the glass against the Cyclones, especially on the offensive glass. 10 offensive rebounds provided them with the edge that they needed. 

Luke Almodovar had a really strong half and helped set the tone for the Tigers with 12 points and eight rebounds. On the flip side, it was Ryan Prather Jr. who came off the bench and led Iowa State in scoring in the first half with 10 points. Lipsey wasn’t far behind with nine, but it was good to see some strong bench production from Prather. 

Overall, it wasn’t a great first half for Iowa State, especially on the defensive end. Unfortunately, some of those struggles carried over into the second half as well. 

A lot of credit has to go to Memphis in this one. This was a team that came out and shot the ball very well against the Cyclones. This Iowa State team doesn’t project as one that has a lot of firepower, and they struggled a bit to keep up. 

With the starting lineup not producing a lot of offense, it was Prather and Dominykas Pleta who provided a nice boost. Even though Pleta didn't play a ton of minutes, he very effective when he was on the court.

This game came right down to the wire, but it was the Tigers who were able to make the plays down the stretch. The Cyclones are certainly going to have some adjustments to make in late-game situations and Lipsey will have to be more aggressive as a scorer this year. For the Tigers, it was Jayden Reid who really took this game over late and helped seal the deal for Memphis.

Next up for the Cyclones will be an easier matchup against Southern Miss on Friday night.